The Brandon Indian Institute, five kilometres northwest of Brandon, in southern Manitoba, was established in 1895 by the Department of Indian Affairs at the persistent urging of the Missionary Society of the Methodist Church. The Methodists, who assumed management of the school, wanted an industrial residential school for children from north of Lake Winnipeg, where most of their missions were established. The location, more than 1,000 km from the missions, was intentional: children would be better assimilated when far from home and culture. The Institute was conceived as an industrial training facility and concentrated on vocational rather than academic training up to the 1950s. Located on rich farm land, the school farm was a successful agricultural venture. Produce was expected to supplement federal funding for food supplies and federal grant amounts were fixed accordingly. Girls learned domestic skills. Attitudes about the abilities and needs of “Indians” limited the level of technical training students received, although this altered over time. In early years both boys and girls were sometimes sent to work on farms and in homes.

Boys worked on the 1,000 acre farm: grain, dairy, livestock, garden and orchard. These boys were at the school in 1926-27.

Initially, recruiting students for the school, with a target of 100, proved to be difficult, as northern Aboriginal parents did not want their children to go so far away, a difficulty that increased after the Residential School in Norway House was opened in 1899. Eventually that resistance lessened both through force of law and through a breakdown in traditional community strength, but by then the catchment was broadened to include children from Saskatchewan and more southerly reserves in Manitoba.

In the summer of 1929, still in the boom of the 20’s economy, the main building was demolished to make way for a new, larger school and residence which was completed in 1930. This coincided with increasing numbers of students attending high school and vocational school in Brandon, so the new school was extended to offer grade 10. Academic subjects begin to gain more attention. Some students continued to travel to town for teaching, business and vocational training. (See the 1938 document below)

Students attended schools in Brandon, starting in the 1920s. These 6 were at Brandon Collegiate in 1926-27. After 1961, it was only a residence.

Starting in the 1940s there were a series of management and staffing issues at what is then known as the Brandon Residential School. Debates between the government and church pitched blame back and forth; inadequate funding affected the ability to attract and keep good staff. (see 1944 document below) The Department of Indian Affairs was responsible for the financial support of the school and the payment of teaching staff. In some circumstances the Board of Home Missions allocated a supplementary grant. (See 1950 document below) The school Principal was nominated by the Board of Home Missions subject to the confirmation of the Department of Indian Affairs. The Principal was in turn responsible for engaging other school staff.

Post war, attitudes about the schools in general were beginning to change and more questions were being raised about their value, yet it took 20 years until they were closed. In 1951, the high school students from Brandon (Grades 9 to 12) were transferred to the Birtle Residential School (Presbyterian), north of Brandon. (See the 1951 document below) In 1957, the Department of Indian Affairs and the United Church agreed on a major reorganization of both Brandon and the school at Portage la Prairie. The younger elementary aged children were consolidated in Brandon. At this time the farm operation was discontinued. By 1959, there were 176 children at the school ranging in age from 6 to 13 years and attending grades one to six. In 1960, a government policy of integration resulted in a shift to a residence only, as children were bused to schools in town and in 1966 the name was changed to the Brandon Student Residence. Enrollment increased to reach 200. In 1969, the United Church divested itself of all interest in the property and the Federal government took over the Residence. They turned it over to the Roman Catholic Church who ran it as a residence until 1972. In 2006 the building was demolished.

Dr. MacDonald and Brandon Residential School Principal Lachlan McLean in front of the Brandon School bus c. 1957.

Records

The records held in this Archives related to the Brandon School are not extensive, and are primarily from 1938 to 1972. They include correspondence between the Principal and the Superintendent of Home Missions for Manitoba and between the Superintendent and the Secretary and Associate Secretaries of the Board of Home Missions based in Toronto. There is also a memoir written by John Semmens in 1915, the first Principal. Rev. John Doyle was Principal from 1929 to 1941. Some newsletters, yearbooks, student lists and staff records are in the collection,as well as photographs.

“New at School” is the caption on this undated photo (c.1940). The school started at kindergarten, for children as young as 5.

The Lenore Kirk Photos are from 1926-27, others are primarily from the 1940s and 1950s. Some records (including photos) are held at the United Church General Council Archives in Toronto. Records are also held by the Canadian government. In 2014, the United Church submitted all its records related to Indian Residential Schools to the Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) and they have since been donated to the University of Manitoba National Research Centre for Truth and Reconciliation.

The following documents (all from this Archives) are a sampling of the kind of records held and were chosen to provide a sweep through time. Each document provides a window on the context, revealing something about the various players: the school, the government, the church, the students, and so on. It is always important to remember that any one document cannot depict the whole reality. For an honest understanding of the complex nature of Indian Residential Schools a more thorough examination is required.

All the digitized records, as well as all the paper files, in the Archives are available to researchers. Please contact the Keeper of the Archives regarding requests for copies or use of these documents.

Documents

The language and views expressed in these historic documents are not censored. They are not reflective of the Church today. For information on current United Church of Canada right relations work -including apologies to survivors of Residential Schools please visitwww.united-church.ca

Discussion about the search for a suitable Principal for Brandon and the possibility of hiring Mr. Strapp. (He does accept the position and is Principal for 11 years. His leadership is not without significant critique, then and in retrospect.)